Organized Crime and Coruption Project

The mayor of southern Russian city was arrested Thursday for extorting bribes from businessmen who sought to lease government-owned land.  Igor Bestuzhy, the mayor of Stavropol, allegedly demanded a bribe of 50 million rubles (US$1.6 million) from a businessman who wanted to lease five hectares of municipal land.

Vladimir Markin, spokesman for the Russian Investigative Committee, called on all businessmen who were extorted to come forward as witnesses.

According to the committee, Bestuzhy was caught when a businessman who planned to build a sport facility on the land prepared to deliver a bribe to aides for the mayor. The employees he sent to collect the money were arrested upon receiving the bribe. According to Markin, one of Bestuzhy’s accomplices confirmed that the mayor was the beneficiary.

On Friday, around one hundred residents gathered in Stavropol for a rally, after receiving the news that their mayor was arrested on corruption charges. The police broke up the rally after 20 minutes, saying that the event was not authorized, and threatening to use force if the protesters did not disperse.

The chairman of the Stavropol Territory Public Chamber, Sergei Popov, was present at the rally, but claimed that his presence was accidental.

“I was just passing by,” Popov told RIA Novosti, “but I would like to say that this day is a holiday for Stavropol and all its residents because Stavropol’s city manager Igor Bestuzhy was detained.” Popov suggested that the members of the City Duma who appointed Bestuzhy as mayor should volunteer their resignations. He added that “It’s now up to the legislature to decide whether they should dissolve or not,” he said. Bestuzhy served as the property minister for the Stavropol region in 2008, and was appointed mayor of Stavropol in May 2011.

Russian courts recently slapped the highest yet fine for bribery, US$10 million, after a former district head in Tatarstan requested bribes from businessmen seeking to develop real estate